Bakani Pick-Up Company, Iona Brie and Ombrascura Dance - Resolution 2020
Strange Clouds, from the Bakani Pick-Up Company, depicts two lost souls, wandering through a desolate realm of vast confusion and uncertainty. Confusion deepens, as the relationship, between performers Darren Payne and Bakani Pick-Up, fails to identify itself, intense, directed gazes contradicting blank and quizzical stares into the unknown abyss. Moments of indulgence, exploring the space beyond the extremities, released through charged jumps and playful fluidity are few and far between, allowing the casual, and often lethargic pace, to dominate the duration and lessen the time we get to spend staying lost.
From restriction to liberation, Iona Brie’s Deuce skilfully communicates a personal journey of emotional and physical trauma and healing. Plaited into an oversized suit, a single thread tethers the structured fabric to the physical body, over which it holds authority. Mechanical and regimented, Brie's gestures are rounded off by boundaries. Tangled, pulled and untangled, the thread never falters until all ties are cut. Sharp, responsive lighting design and bellowing pulses of sound assist in the transformation of the space, transcending the architecture and situating us inside the mechanism, of the mind and of machinery. Engaging and emotional, Brie navigates the space powerfully and proves that the story of isolation, includes everyone.
Ombrascura Dance, complete with powerhouse performers, provides a dynamic ending to this programme. Technically precise with impeccable execution, Children of the Moon is fuelled by spectacle; Unison sequences appear in abundance, challenging stunts receive spotlight moments and musical influence reins over the movement choices. An easily digestible performance, I was left with no piercing thoughts or questions. If aware of its unchallenging nature, this would be entirely adequate; however, the narrative of Ophiuchus, a constellation and, in Greek mythology, meaning serpent bearer, was promised and underdelivered. Focussing on packing the 25-minute work with fast-paced action, the story suffered and what remained was a visual parade, lacking in substance.
Location of performance: The Place, London.
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